Xu Zimo walked out from the Stone Heart Pavilion and looked up at the overcast sky.
In the hazy mist, the whole sky seemed like a giant beast, the thick layers of dark clouds rolling and tumbling.
He spread his arms, the air slightly cool.
A cool wind blew from the north, a few green leaves dancing gracefully in the air.
âBrother Xu, morning,â Lu Ze came out from behind, smiling as he greeted.
Xu Zimo slightly nodded.
âIs Brother Xu ready for todayâs great battle?â Lu Ze asked.
âStomping an ant, what is there to prepare for,â Xu Zimo replied casually.
âSeems Brother Xu is quite confident,â Lu Ze narrowed his eyes slightly and chuckled.
âItâs got nothing to do with confidence. If he had entered the Immortal path, it might be interesting. A mere God Meridian isnât worth mentioning,â Xu Zimo waved his hand.
âBrother Xu is also a God Meridian, isnât he?â Lu Ze continued to ask.
Xu Zimo smiled faintly. âYour curiosity seems rather strong.â
âJust showing some concern, since itâs a life-and-death battle,â Lu Ze quickly waved his hands, not daring to ask further.
Under the gloomy weather, the deafening sound of war drums rang out again.
The ârumble rumbleâ echoed throughout the entire Sacred Stone Mountain.
âLetâs go,â Xu Zimo looked at Great Wisdom and walked toward the front of the mountain.
At this moment, all the members of the Stone Race were also gathering here.
Because every battle concerned the survival of the Stone Race, they were especially attentive.
Wind and sand drifted across the center of the arena.
The land was immersed in a deathly silence.
The people of the Stone Race and Feather Race faced each other from afar.
It was still the same crowd as yesterday. From a distance, the voice of Yu Feihuang from the Feather Race pierced through the crowd, echoing all around.
âBrother Shaoshuo, who are you sending to die today?â
Shi Shaoshuo snorted coldly. âItâs not certain who will die yet.â
He turned his head toward Xu Zimo and said solemnly, âYoung Master Xu, Iâm counting on you.â
âDonât worry,â Xu Zimo waved his hand and walked forward.
On the Feather Raceâs side, when they saw Xu Zimo step out,
Yu Feihuang frowned slightly and asked, âWhoâs that guy? Why havenât I seen him before?â
âNot sure, but he probably isnât from the Stone Race,â someone nearby said.
âA hired helper,â Yu Shaoqing chuckled softly. âFor someone to still dare help the Stone Race at this point, how interesting.â
âBe careful. Take him down with absolute certainty,â Yu Feihuang said from the side.
...
Dust filled the air between the two men, behind them were the cheers and shouts of their respective races.
The voices echoed beneath Sacred Stone Mountain.
Yu Shaoqing raised his right hand, and all the noise abruptly ceased.
âYou seem unfamiliar, brother,â Yu Shaoqing asked. âWhere might you be from?â
Xu Zimo did not answer his question but instead asked, âAre you afraid of death?â
âWhat did you say?â Yu Shaoqing frowned slightly.
âWhy ask so much,â Xu Zimo replied. âYouâre going to take everything you have with you to hell, so knowing or not knowing makes no difference.â
âArrogant,â Yu Shaoqing coldly shouted.
The longsword in his hand was drawn in an instant, slashing toward Xu Zimo.
The sword pierced through the void, condensing all its power into a single point.
Xu Zimo chuckled softly, spiritforce surging in his hand as he directly clamped the oncoming sword.
With his other hand, he formed a palm strike that directly pressed toward Yu Shaoqing.
The wind and clouds trembled within his palm, rolling up a majestic force.
Yu Shaoqing quickly extended his right arm in an attempt to defend.
With a loud âboom,â endless spiritforce erupted instantly, and Yu Shaoqingâs figure was sent flying backward.
He quickly stood up from the ground, sticking out his tongue to lick his lips.
Smiling, he said, âNo wonder youâre so arrogant, youâve got some skill after all.â
âCome,â Xu Zimo beckoned with his hand.
Yu Shaoqingâs expression grew slightly serious, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
His figure blurred into countless afterimages, his longsword spinning in his palm as he charged toward Xu Zimo.
This sword strike was simple and unadorned, yet carried an astonishing sharpness.
Xu Zimo struck with his right palm, condensed with endless spiritforce.
Palm and sword collided, and they were actually annihilated at the same time.
Yu Shaoqingâs movements were neither fast nor slow, his expression neither happy nor sad.
His sword techniques had no fancy flourishes, just simple slashing, stabbing, lifting, pointing, thrusting, pressing, chopping, interceptingâŠ
These were the thirteen basic sword techniques.
The thirteen basic sword forms were what every beginner in swordsmanship would practice.
But at this moment, in Yu Shaoqingâs hands, they carried an added sense of artistic conception.
âSword Dao Origin,â Xu Zimo chuckled. âIâve seen many people use the sword, but youâre one of the few who has grasped the origin.â
The so-called origin meant seeing through all sword techniques, even being able to create oneâs own techniques.
Every astonishing meridian art in history was created by someone.
âYouâve got a bit of an eye,â Yu Shaoqing said faintly. âBut this is all there is to it.â
âIs that so?â Xu Zimo laughed softly.
With a metallic âclang,â the sound of the Shadow Tyrant being drawn came from behind him.
Immediately, a hellish saber intent condensed.
âBlades and swords are one family, try mine for size,â
Xu Zimo said with a hearty laugh.
âSlash, chop, hack, slice, sweepâŠâ
These were the thirteen basic saber techniques, also the most fundamental forms.
Compared to Yu Shaoqing, Xu Zimoâs movements were much faster.
After just a few simple exchanges, Yu Shaoqing was already struggling to defend.
His chest was stabbed once, and his figure quickly retreated backward.
âWhatâs wrong? Tired already?â Xu Zimo laughed.
âSince you are not of the Stone Race, might you tell me your name?â Yu Shaoqing finally grew serious and asked.
âJust a nameless rogue cultivator,â Xu Zimo waved his hand. âBesides, the dead donât need to know so much.â
Yu Shaoqing narrowed his eyes slightly, saying nothing more.
Around him, strands of dark energy began slowly surging.
A harsh, piercing cry seemed to echo in the air.
At first the dark energy was faint, but in the blink of an eye it surged forth in great waves.
The sky had already been overcast,
but now, within the heavy dark clouds, a crow even blacker appeared, condensing into form.
âTrue Fate revealed, is it?â Xu Zimo smiled.
The white robe Yu Shaoqing wore already had the image of a crow on it.
Now, the two looked identical.
The moment this crow appeared, the power of darkness erupted.
Ominousness and gloom descended together.
The crow was several dozen meters tall, its entire body as if drenched in ink.
Its wings were full, without any special features, just an inscrutable shade of black.
Its beak looked very hard, slightly sharp.
The most memorable thing was its eyes,
darkness, corrosion, death, making one instantly think of countless unpleasant words.
âWorld-Destroying Dark Night Crow,â from the Stone Raceâs side, Shi Shaoshuo exclaimed in shock.
âLooks like the Stone Patriarch knows his stuff,â Yu Shaoqing chuckled.
âYou actually made it your True Fate,â Shi Shaoshuoâs face showed disbelief.